Academic Advising

Quality academic advising is an important component of achieving educational success in college. Advisors can help students along their entire academic journey. Services provided by advisors include:

• Individual advising conferences
• Clarification of life goals
• Development of suitable educational plans
• Appropriate course scheduling
• Interpretation of institutional requirements
• Increase student awareness of institutional support systems
• Evaluation of student progress toward goals
• Reinforcement of student self-direction
• Referral, when appropriate, to institutional and community support services

At WVU Parkersburg, all students are required to see an advisor. The College has a two-step advising process:

1. Students with 30 or less college credits:
   All students admitted to WVU Parkersburg who have 30 or less earned college credits are initially assigned to an advisor housed in the Professional Advising Center (PAC). The PAC is staffed by five full-time professional advisors who assist students in scheduling and registering for classes. PAC advisors also serve as a source of reference for general questions and can refer students to specific campus services when necessitated. PAC advisors are available each weekday by walk-in or appointment. Students remain with their PAC advisor until they successfully complete 30 or more credits.
2. Students with more than 30 college credits:
   After a student attains 30 college credits, they are reassigned to an advisor who actually resides in the academic division of their major. These advisors are knowledgeable about their career fields, special requirements of the career, and other information that a generalist advisor might not have available.

Center for Student Services

The Center for Student Services houses the Admissions Office, Office of Student Financial Assistance, and the Records Office.

Academic Honors

Students who maintain high grade-point averages during any semester are identified for academic honors, as follows:

• President’s Scholars:
  Full-time students (earning 12 or more credit hours in a semester) who maintain a 4.0 grade-point average.
• Dean’s List:
  All students who are registered for at least six credit hours in a semester and who maintain a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher.
• Honor Graduates:
  All persons who complete graduation requirements and who maintain high cumulative grade-point averages are identified with the following designations:

Academic Honors

Cumulative GPA	Honor Designation
3.50-3.74	Cum Laude
3.75-3.99	Magna Cum Laude
4.00	Summa Cum Laude

Academic Standing

Good Academic Standing

To be in good academic standing, a student must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade-point average for all work undertaken.

Early College Students

Early College students must maintain a grade point average greater than 2.0 to continue in the program.

Academic Watch

Any student who, at the end of a grading period, has not maintained a 2.0 cumulative grade-point average shall be placed on Academic Watch.  This serves as a written notice to students that timely completion of their intended degree path may be in jeopardy and continued lack of improvement may lead to Academic Probation.

Early College Students

Early College students who fail to maintain a 2.5 GPA must meet with an academic advisor for individual counseling to establish a plan for moving forward each semester

Academic Probation

Any student who has not maintained a 2.0 cumulative grade-point average after being placed on Academic Watch, shall be placed on Academic Probation.

Early College Students

Early College students who have a GPA below 2.0 will not be allowed to continue, or return, to the program.

Course Load

Any student on Academic Probation may register for no more than 13 credit hours during a full Fall or Spring semester.  Probationary students may register for no more than 7 credit hours during the summer session.

Restriction from WVU Parkersburg Clubs and Organizations

Any student on Academic Probation may not participate in the activities and events of any WVU Parkersburg Club or Organization.

Removal from Academic Probation

A student on academic probation shall be returned to Good Academic Standing at any time the cumulative grade-point average reaches 2.0 or higher.

Good Academic Standing

To be in good academic standing, a student must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade-point average for all work undertaken. Transfer students must meet the same academic requirements.

Academic Suspension

Any probationary student who, upon completing one additional semester after being placed on Academic Probation, fails to maintain a minimum 2.0 grade-point average during that semester shall be placed on Academic Suspension.

First Suspension

A student's First Academic Suspension shall be in effect for one full semester (not including Summer Sessions).  At the end of one semester's suspension, the student may be reinstated on Academic Probation.  All circumstances and conditions relating to Academic Probation shall apply.

Second Suspension

After return to Academic Probation, a student who completes an additional semester and fails to achieve a minimum grade-point average of 2.0 during that semester shall be placed on Second Academic Suspension.  A student's Second Academic Suspension shall be in effect for two full semesters (not including Summer Sessions).  At the end of two semesters’ suspension, the student may be reinstated on Academic Probation. All circumstances and conditions relating to Academic Probation shall apply.

Third Suspension

After return to Academic Probation, a student who completes an additional semester and fails to achieve a minimum grade-point average of 2.0 during that semester shall be placed on Third Academic Suspension. Third Academic Suspension shall be for a minimum of eight consecutive full semesters (not including Summer Sessions).

Academic Appeals

Academic Appeals may be instituted by any regularly enrolled student for any of the following causes or concerns:

• Academic suspension
• Denial of admission to program
• Charges of academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism, cheating, or falsifying records
• Failure to complete program or graduation requirements
• Dismissal from program
• Final course grades

Timing of Appeals

• Appeals of academic suspension must be instituted prior to the start of the semester during which the student is to be suspended from enrollment, August 1 for reinstatement for fall and January 2 for reinstatement for spring.
• Grade appeals must be instituted by the student within (30) calendar days following the date final grades were posted.
• All other appeals listed above must be initiated within ten (10) working days following the rendering of the decision that is to be appealed.
• Exceptions to the above deadlines may be made by the Vice President for Academic Affairs in situations of special concern or unusual circumstances.
• At each step in the appeal process, the next level of appeal must be initiated by student action within five (5) working days following completion of the prior step.

Appeal of Academic Suspension

Any student who is placed on First or Second Academic Suspension may request to appeal this decision.  Requests for appeals must be made to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for reinstatement.  The course schedule will be deleted for any suspended student.

The appeal may be denied or approved with multiple requirements:

1. uphold the Suspension,
2. reinstate the student on Academic Probation, or
3. reinstate the student on Academic Probation with specific stipulations such as (but not limited to) establishing maximum course load, mandating that specific courses be repeated, requiring specified counseling, and/or career counseling, requiring specified testing, or other academic procedures deemed necessary.

Advanced Placement Examination

WVU at Parkersburg recognizes the examinations of the College Board Advanced Placement Program. WVU at Parkersburg’s code is 5932 for scores to be forwarded to the Records Office, located in the Center for Students Services.

Auditing a Course

Persons wishing to audit a course must complete registration procedures at the Records Office and designate “audit” on their registration forms, prior to a semester beginning. Persons auditing courses must complete the same work as regular students but no grades or credit are awarded for an audited course.

Catalog Selection

Students are assigned to a catalog based on their year of admission and are required to complete their degree under those program requirements.

• If a student is not enrolled for longer than one academic year and then re-enrolls, the student will be assigned to the new catalog for that year.
• Students continually enrolled in an academic program whose curriculum has changes may choose to pursue their degree under the new program requirements by notifying the Records Office of their intent by completing a Change of Major/Advisor/Catalog Form.
• Students who choose to follow a newer curriculum may not retroactively select to return to a program’s previous course requirements after requesting a change.

Class Attendance

• WVU at Parkersburg expects students to regularly attend all classes.
• Faculty are expected to publish expectations relating to class attendance in their course syllabi.
• Final course grades can be adversely affected by a record of excessive absences. Such a record of absence from class may result in receiving a course grade of F or FIW (Failure, Irregular Withdraw).
• “Excessive absences” is defined as any number of absences that exceeds the number of class meetings that are scheduled in one week.
• “Excessive absences” is defined for a hybrid course as being absent from more than one scheduled class meeting.
• Financial Aid and Veterans students’ awards may be affected or adjusted based on non-attendance.

Course Load

• Normal Load for Full-Time Students. In order to complete an associate degree in two academic years, or a baccalaureate degree in four years, a student should plan to register for an average of 15 to 17 credit hours each semester.
• Maximum Course Load. Maximum course load for a full-time student is 18 credit hours during the fall and spring semester, or 12 credit hours for summer.
• Overload. To register for more than 18 credit hours per semester:
  • Students must have completed a minimum of 12 semester hours of college credit.
  • A student must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25 or higher.
  • No requests for an overload in excess of 21 credit hours per semester will be approved.

Credit-By-Examination and CLEP

Regularly enrolled students may apply to receive credit-by-examination in certain courses offered by the College. Credit-by-examination is available by either of two processes: taking the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams, which are prepared by the College Board, or taking in-house tests prepared by faculty of the College. Contact your division to determine if they conduct credit-by-exam for your desired course.

Several rules must be observed:

1. Application forms for credit-by-examination must be completed and fees paid before the examinations may be given.
2. A student may attempt to take credit-by-examination in any individual course only once.¹
3. Students may not attempt credit-by-examination in courses for which they are currently registered.
   
   Additionally, students may not attempt credit-by-examination in courses which they have already completed and for which they have grades on their transcripts.
4. In-house examinations are to be prepared by the department faculty responsible for teaching the course that is to be tested. The Division Dean shall attest that the examination to be used is appropriate to the course and is not one that has been used previously for in-class examination sessions.
5. CLEP exams are prepared by the College Board. The CLEP tests listed in this catalog have been approved for credit by College Division Deans.
6. Persons meeting specified score requirements on either CLEP or In-house exams will then have credit applied to their transcripts.

¹

CLEP examinations may be retaken if unsuccessful on the first try; however, a three-month period must pass before attempting to retake the test.

Transferability of Credit-by-Exam

Students intending to transfer to another institution should contact the transfer school to determine whether or not the particular examination credit will be accepted.

Procedures for Taking an In-House Examination

• Discuss the matter with the appropriate Division Dean
• Complete an In-house Credit-by-Examination form at the Records Office, located in the Center for Student Services.
• Pay the $25 testing fee at the Business Office.
• Take the appropriate examination.

Department Exam Administered by WVU Parkersburg

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
ASTR 106	INTRODUCTION TO ASTRONOMY	4
BIOL 107 & BIOL 108	~ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY 1 and ~ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2	8
BIOL 200 & BIOL 201	MICROBIOLOGY and MICROBIOLOGY LAB	4
BIOL 211	ZOOLOGY-ANIMALS AS ORGANISMS	4
BIOL 212	BOTANY-PLANTS AS ORGANISMS	4
BIOL 171	NUTRITION & HEALTH	3
CHEM 111	~INTRO TO GENERAL CHEMISTRY	4
CHEM 112	~INTRO ORGANIC & BIOL CHEM	4
CHEM 233 & CHEM 235	ORGANIC CHEMISTRY 1 and ORGANIC CHEMISTRY 1 LAB	4
or CHEM 234 & CHEM 236	ORGANIC CHEMISTRY 2 and ORGANIC CHEMISTRY 2 LAB
CIT 101	PC MGMT & MAINTENANCE	5
CIT 105	INTRODUCTION TO NETWORKS	5
CIT 106	ROUTING & SWITCHING ESSENTIALS (Cisco)	5
CIT 114	WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEMS	3
CIT 205	ENTERPRISE NETWORKS & SECURITY (Cisco)	4
CIT 211	NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE (MCP)	3
CIT 305	ADVANCED ROUTING (Cisco)	5
CIT 306	SECURE CONVERGED WANS(CISCO 6) (Cisco)	5
CIT 405	MULTI-LAYER SWITCHED NETWORKS (Cisco)	5
GBUS 117	FINANCIAL BUSINESS APPLICATION	3
GEOL 101 & GEOL 102	~PHYSICAL GEOLOGY and ~PHYSICAL GEOLOGY LAB	4
GEOL 103 & GEOL 104	~HISTORICAL GEOLOGY and ~HISTORICAL GEOLOGY LAB	4
PHYS 101 & PHYS 102	~INTRO TO PHYSICS 1 and ~INTRO TO PHYSICS 2	8
PHYS 111 & PHYS 112	~GENERAL PHYSICS 1 and ~GENERAL PHYSICS 2	8
PSCI 111	~INTRO TO PHYSICAL SCIENCE	4
PSCI 112	~INTRO TO EARTH SCIENCE	4
SEC 430	OPERATING SYSTEM SECURITY	3
WELDING	All Welding Courses	1-3

Other exams may be available, please contact the Division Offices for information.

In-house examinations open on a requested basis. Students who challenge any BTEC software package class not listed should discuss with the Division Chair and arrange with a BTEC instructor to obtain credit-by-exam through BTEC 299 INDEPENDENT STUDY.

Note: Word Processing courses periodically offered in the Business Technology studies area are open to in-house examinations on a selected basis.

Procedures for Taking a CLEP Test

1. Contact the Testing Center to determine CLEP tests available.
2. Complete the registration process on-line, prior to making an appointment with the Testing Center.
3. Pay the appropriate fees¹:
   • CLEP fee to the College Board at the time of registration for an exam.¹
   • There will be a testing fee payable to WVU Parkersburg Business Office before testing.
   • Sit for the examination during the appointed time and date.

¹

Fees are set for CLEP yearly by The College Board and are subject to change.

College-Level Examination Program Courses Available For Credit By Examination

CLEP

WVUP Course No.	CLEP Title	Passing Score	Credit
BIOL 101/BIOL 102	Biology	50	6
CHEM 115/CHEM 116	Chemistry	50	8
ECON 201	Principles of Microeconomics	50	3
ECON 202	Principles of Macroeconomics	50	3
ENGL 101	College Composition	50	3
ENGL 131/ENGL 132	Analy./Interp. of Literature	50	6
ENGL 261/ENGL 262	English Literature	50	6
ENGL 241/ENGL 242	American Literature	50	6
FREN 101, FREN 102	College French-Level 1	50	6
FREN 101, FREN 102 & FREN 203, FREN 204	College French-Level 2	60	12
GERM 101, GERM 102	College German-Level 1	50	6
GERM 101, GERM 102 & GERM 203, GERM 204	College German-Level 2	60	12
HIST 101	West. Civ. I: to 1648	50	3
HIST 102	West. Civ. II: 1648 to Present	50	3
HIST 152	Amer. History I: to 1865	50	3
HIST 153	Amer. History II: 1865 to Present	50	3
MATH 120	College Mathematics	50	3
MGMT 220	Principles of Management	50	3
MKTG 230	Principles of Marketing	50	3
MATH 126	College Algebra	50	3
MATH 155	Calculus I	50	3
PSYC 101	Introductory Psychology	50	3
PSYC 241	Human Growth and Development	50	3
SOC 101	Introductory Sociology	50	3
SPAN 101, SPAN 102	College Spanish-Level 1	50	6
SPAN 101, SPAN 102 & SPAN 203, SPAN 204	College Spanish-Level 2	60	12

Grades and Grading

The following letter grades are used at WVU at Parkersburg. Numbers in parentheses indicate quality points accompanying grades.

Grades

Grade	Description
A (4.0)	Student has met maximum obtainable course objectives
B (3.0)	Student has exceeded normal course objectives
C (2.0)	Student has met normal course objectives
D (1.0)	Student has met minimum course objectives
F (0.0)	Student has not met minimum course objectives
FIW (0.0)	Failure because of irregular withdrawal from class
I1	Incomplete. Must be changed to letter grade within six weeks after end of semester
IF	Grade given for any incomplete grade not removed after one semester unless an extension is given by the faculty member
W	Withdrawal before the designated withdrawal date each semester
CR	Credit for the class (does not affect grade-point average)
NC	No credit for the class (does not affect grade-point average)
X	Student has taken course for audit

¹

Incomplete is a temporary grade, given only when students have completed most of the course but are unable to conclude it because of illness or some other circumstance beyond normal control.

• Incompletes are not granted routinely but are based on significant work having been completed, valid reasons, and the discretion of the instructor. “I” grades will turn to F grades if not made up within the first six weeks after the grade is assigned.
• Incomplete grades are not assigned quality points, and the semester hours for incomplete courses are not counted as hours attempted.
• Students receiving a grade of “I” will not be eligible for the Dean’s or President’s List that semester.

Grade-Point Average

Quality points are earned with each final course grade. Using the following formula, these are then averaged against the total number of credit hours that the student has completed. This is done on the following formula:

GPA

Final Course Grade	Grade Quality Points
A	4
B	3
C	2
D	1
F, FIW	0
W	N/A

To compute a grade-point average, the number of quality points for a single grade is multiplied by the number of credit hours given for completion of the course. The total number of quality points is then divided by the total number of credit hours on record.

Example of Calculating GPA

Calculating GPA

Course Completed	Final Grade	Quality Points	Semester Hours	Quality Points
ENGL 101	A	4	3	12
BIOL 101	D	1	3	3
BIOL 103	D	1	1	1
HIST 101	B	3	3	9
SOC 101	C	2	3	6
MATH 126	W	0	0	0
			13	31

31 Quality Points divided by 13 Credit Hours = 2.38 GPA

Cumulative Grade-Point Average

Students’ records will show, in addition to the GPA earned in any one semester, the Cumulative GPA. This includes all semesters or quarters of college work completed, both at WVU at Parkersburg, and at any other colleges that the student has attended.

Graduation Requirements

Students may be awarded diplomas or certificates at the end of any instructional term in May, August, or December. Students must apply for Certificates or Degrees in the OLSIS system early in the final term before they expect to graduate. Deadline dates are published on the college’s website.

In order to graduate from WVU at Parkersburg, students must fulfill the following requirements:

• Complete the minimum number of credit hours as outlined for the degree or certificate program.
• Maintain an overall grade-point average of C (2.00) or higher in associate and certificate programs. Students in the baccalaureate degree programs should refer to specific requirements for the respective program.
• Complete all general education requirements for the degree.
• Complete a minimum of 15 credit hours with a minimum 2.00 grade-point average at WVU at Parkersburg for associate degrees or 30 credit hours at WVU at Parkersburg for baccalaureate degrees.
• Submit an electronic application for graduation in OLSIS by or before the stated deadline.

Students are encouraged to check their MyDegree academic maps, accessed through OLSIS, to ascertain when they have or are about to complete the requirements for their academic programs. Students in bachelor degree programs should not wait until the end of their bachelor's degree to apply for associates degrees, or certificates, which have already been completed.

Waiver or Substitution of Graduation Requirements 

Students who wish to request a waiver of graduation requirements must make the request in writing to the Vice President for Academic Affairs well in advance of the term in which they desire to graduate. Requests for course substitutions should be made early in a student’s educational career and not wait until the semester of graduation to request them.

International Education and Travel

West Virginia University at Parkersburg provides opportunities for students to expand their global knowledge.

• Classroom-based opportunities range from foreign language study to global business to international films. Students also have the option of a variety of study abroad programs.
• WVU at Parkersburg students can select from programs led by our faculty, programs sponsored by other colleges and universities, and programs offered through ISEP, the International Student Exchange Program.
• WVU at Parkersburg offers a dedicated scholarship for short-term study abroad programs, the Lawrence-Berrey Scholarship. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.2 at the time of application and 26 hours of completed course work by the date of travel. The scholarship is administered by the WVU at Parkersburg Foundation.

Mid-Terms Grades

All students will be assigned a grade at mid-term even if it is a passing grade. Students may view their mid-term grades in their OLSIS accounts. Mid-term grades are not part of a student’s transcript and are not computed in grade-point averages. Students with less than C grades should contact their instructors to determine viable methods to improve those grades.

Repeating Classes (D/F Repeat Rule)

Students who earn a final grade of D or F in any course completed at this college may repeat that course and have the original grade of D or F replaced by the later grade earned, under the following conditions and restrictions:

• Only courses with a final grade of D or F (or FIW) are covered under this policy
• The course to be repeated must have originally been completed within the first 60 semester hours of college courses.
• The original grade will not be removed from the student’s transcript. It will, however, not be counted in computing grade-point average or total hours of credit earned.
• If repeating the course does not yield a satisfactory grade, the course may be repeated a second time; however, all grades earned in the course, except the initial grade shall be counted in computing grade-point average.
• Any course that is repeated when the original grade was not a D or F, or when the original grade was not earned during the student’s first 60 hours of college credit, will be averaged with the initial grade for purposes of computing grade-point average.
• The student must indicate on the registration form in OLSIS that a course is being repeated under this policy.
• Specific programs may require that course credit completed at this college, or transferred from another college, with an original grade of D must be repeated.

Grade Forgiveness

Students may request the forgiveness of D and F grades previously earned. Forgiveness is not automatic, but must be initiated by the student and their academic advisor.

• Once a Grade Forgiveness form is completed, the request should be submitted to the Records Office, located in the Center for Student Services.
• Grades that are forgiven are not removed from the student’s transcript but are marked to indicate that they are not being counted in tabulating either the student’s total credit hours completed or grade-point average.
• Grade forgiveness may be requested no more than two times.
• Any grade to be forgiven must have been earned at least four years prior to the date of requesting forgiveness.
• The student requesting grade forgiveness must not have been enrolled in any college on a full-time basis during any semester or summer session during the four years immediately prior to the request for grade forgiveness.
• The student’s request for grade forgiveness should be requested their first semester after returning to college.
• Grade forgiveness should not be granted if the student can exercise the D/F Repeat Rule.
• In all instances of grade forgiveness, students are notified that other colleges or universities may have policies that do not allow the forgiveness of grades.
• Grades which were used in meeting graduation requirements for a degree or certificate that has already been awarded may not subsequently be forgiven.
• Grade forgiveness requests will be reviewed following the end of the withdrawal period for the current semester.

Tutoring Center

The Tutoring Center provides: Free tutoring in a variety of subjects, Computer assisted learning, Collaboration tables, Computer lab access, Science resources, Study areas, and Textbooks

For appointments or questions, you may contact the center at 304.424.8295 or tutoring.wvup.edu.   For services at JCC (Jackson County Center), contact the Administrative Office at http://www.wvup.edu/about/jackson-county-center or by phone at 304.372.6992. The website has many other resources available to students as well: tutoring.wvup.edu

Withdrawal from Courses

Before the semester begins, students withdrawing from an individual course or the College must access their OLSIS account. For each semester, once classes begin, students must complete and submit a withdrawal request:  https://my.wvup.edu/Withdraw_Requests/CreateRequest, and monitor the progression of their request to sign/approve - once their academic advisor, their financial aid counselor and the Business Office have provided guidance/approval.  Any questions about this process may be directed to staff in the Center for Student Services, the Professional Advising Center or the Jackson County Center administrative office.

Transfer of Credit to Other Institutions

Transfer of credit to other state colleges and universities in West Virginia is established by state-wide policy. Up to 72 hours of credit and grades completed at two-year colleges will be transferable to any bachelor’s degree granting institution in the state system.

Students who have completed a two-year degree at WVU Parkersburg may expect to transfer to baccalaureate institutions in the state at junior-level status and should be able to graduate from the latter institution with the same number of total credit hours as will be required of that college’s generic students.

Students transferring to institutions outside West Virginia should encounter no problems in transfer because of the college’s accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission.  However, students should always consult with an intended transfer school to make sure that their credits will transfer and that they will not lose a substantial amount of credits.

Core Coursework Transfer Agreement

The West Virginia Community & Technical College System and The WV Higher Education Policy Commission annually publish a “Core Coursework Transfer Agreement” that is designed to assure that students who transfer from one West Virginia college or university to another will receive credit for specified general studies courses at the receiving institutions.

Under that agreement, a student may transfer up to 32 credit hours of undergraduate coursework in the areas of English composition, communications and literature, mathematics, natural science and social science as general studies credits. The agreement establishes hours of coursework acceptable for transfer that will count toward fulfillment of general studies requirements.

Since coursework is generally transferable among state institutions in WV, a student could conceivably transfer more than 32 hours of general studies credit from one institution to another that are provided for in this agreement. The agreement is not designed to limit the number of credits that are transferred. Its purpose is to assure that students will be able to transfer credits in accordance with the terms of the agreement.

Transfer Agreements with WVU Morgantown

Eberly College of Arts & Sciences

• Anthropology B.A.
• Biology B.A.
• Biology B.S.
• Chemistry B.A.
• Chemistry B.S.
• English B.A.
• History B.A.
• International Studies B.A.
• Mathematics B.A.
• Mathematics B.S.
• Physics B.A.
• Physics B.S.
• Psychology B.A. with Addiction Studies Minor
• Psychology B.S.
• Psychology B.B. with Addiction Studies Minor
• Sociology B.A.

Statler College of Engineering & Mineral Resources

• Aerospace Engineering B.S.A.E. (Aeronautical Emphasis)
• Aerospace Engineering B.S.A.E. (Astronautical Emphasis)
• Chemical Engineering B.S.Ch.E.
• Electrical Engineering B.S.E.E.
• Industrial Engineering B.S.I.E.
• Mechanical Engineering B.S.M.E.

For more information, please contact the Dean of Academic Affairs at 304.424.8226.